The Bleecker Black from Bleecker St. Burger in Old Spitalfields

Every now and again, a burger stops me dead in my tracks. It's not something I ever expect, but when it happens it gives me immeasurable pleasure.

There are lots of great burgers in London these days, and everyone and their dog has an opinion (did you know there are now more than 15 blogs dedicated to the London burgers, most of which have sprung up in the last 18 months?!) but being the best burger in London is not a superlative I use lightly. The Bleecker Black could be exactly that. The best burger in London.

The make up of this burger is almost embarrassingly simple, but no less magical for it.  Let me explain.

Price:

Bleecker Black - £10

Presentation:

If you could weaponise a burger, this is how you'd do it. Boxed into recycled cardboard almost directly from the grill - the first thing that hits you when you open that box is a concentrated aromas of toast and beef, and it's magnificent. From the light brown, sesame seeded bun with light charring around the edges, to the bright yellow cheese, the deep browning of the crust on the beef to the deep, crumbling darkness of the black pudding - it's like staring into the depths of the most beautiful rainbow you've ever seen, seeing your soul mirrored in its depths.

It's juicy, meaty depths.

Toppings:

This is where the simplicity manifests. Bleecker burger sauce, american cheese, Clontakilty beef black pudding, and strips of white onion combine with beef and bun to form the Bleecker Black. Four simple toppings. Together they bring the perfect balance of acidity, savoury, and sweetness tied into the sticky texture of american cheese and the toasted, crumbliness of the beef black pudding. It's frankly sublime.

Meat:

This is probably the best beef in the UK. Four different cuts of aged beef are sourced, blended and minced by The Butchery into 4oz patties, which double up to form the core of the Bleecker Black. They're perfectly seasoned and deliver a fantastic depth of aged beef flavour, as well as giving long after taste of tallowy, creamy beef - all this alongside the crumbly, toasty black pudding. Just a side note, it's served on the rare side of medium-rare - as this quality of beef absolutely should be.

It's a remarkable achievement to pack so much flavour into this meat and keep it so pink in the cooking.

Bun:

Sticking with simplicity, the Bleecker Black is wrapped in a toasted soft white and sesame-seeded bun from breadSTORY. It's toasted inside with just a hint of char adding a background smokiness to the burger. It's robust, and it needs to be in order to deal with the gushing juices running out of the two patties, but it's not heavy.

Bravo Bleecker for not defaulting to the demi-brioche buns favoured by their illustrious peers.

Accessories:

With great new permanent location, comes great responsibility, which they've taken on admirably. This means delivery of better, crunchier fries than I'm used to from the truck - and this can only be aq good thing. Also, and this is very important, you can mop up all the juices that come from your Bleecker Black with the chips - giving you a convenient way to savour those fantastic flavours for longer.

Artists impression of the Bleecker Black burger

Overall rating: 10/10

There was never any doubt from the first mouthful of the Bleecker Black that it scores a rare (no pun intended) ten out of ten.

This is a burger bourne out of attention to detail and wicked chemistry. I dare you not to have a big grin on your face when  The lunchtime queues around the block should speak for themselves. Service, however, is quick and efficient - so make sure you make the journey there's no possible way a sane burger lover could be disappointed.

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